Spring 2013 President's Cup

It isn’t a stretch to think that students at a school filled with golfers would take competition very seriously but every semester that is exactly what happens; competition gets serious. The President’s Cup is a longstanding tradition at PGCC, and competition gets taken to a whole new level.

For the tournament, captains are designated and it is their responsibility to select the organization of the players, and therefore, the make-up of teams; who plays single matches and who plays teams. Captains are the backbone, the leaders and the moral support for the tournaments, but in the end, it is the players have to deliver on their potential and bring home the win.

The top students at all three golf college campuses welcome the President's Cup Tournament every semester. Played in Ryder Cup format, where one point is awarded for every hole gained, and a half point is awarded for every hole tied, the “P Cup” allows each student an opportunity to compete against the faculty, a considerable challenge, even for the best of the best. One of several end-of-semester tournaments the P Cup engages students in healthy competition, exposing them to the rules of match play format that directly emulate the Ryder Cup style.

The students who served as captains and co-captains of this semester’s P Cup were; Burke Gregory and Chad Mayles in Hilton Head, Joe Mentz and Dan Smith in Temecula, and Joel Hingston in Orlando.

In Temecula faculty member Steve Betty made a Hole-n-One (Hole # 15 with a #3 wood) to close out his match 5&3 against Scott Ramsey, freshman. And Senior, David Lopez, won the ONLY match for the students all week. Lopez recalls that he played one of his best rounds of his life and won 2&1 against Dr. Tim “Doc” Somerville.

In Orlando at the Reunion Resort’s Nicklaus Course, the final score was 12 ½ to 11 ½ in favor of the students. The winning student Captain was Joel Hingston from the Senior Class, while the Faculty side was represented by Director of Golf, Roger Masterson. One of the Faculty teams was comprised of alumni, Matt Higginbotham and David Beshears, from the December 2011 graduating class. The two came back from a 3 down deficit with 4 holes to play, to secure a tie with their student opponents. Unfortunately for them, it was not enough to overcome the final matches which were won by the students to secure the Cup.

The Hilton Head Lakes Golf Course hosted the President’s Cup, and students captains Burke Gregory and Chad Mayles, gave it their all, going the extra mile to run a great event. One of the P Cup highlights did not take place while students and faculty were playing; it came before. Hilton Head arranged a pairings party prior to the event so students could meet their opponents in advance, and foster a healthy respect for each other, and encourage good sportsmanship. Jimmy Powell, Hilton Head’s Director of Golf shared that, “This was a great networking opportunity, lots of fun and we feel that it made for a more competitive event.”